How to Find Dermatologists by Zip Code

Q: What is the correct NPI taxonomy_description for Mohs surgeons?

The correct CMS taxonomy_description is 'MOHS-Micrographic Surgery' — all caps MOHS, hyphen between MOHS and Micrographic. 'Mohs Micrographic Surgery' (sentence case, space instead of hyphen) returns zero results — confirmed June 12, 2026. This affects any rep building a call list for Mohs surgical consumables, margins mapping equipment, or post-Mohs reconstruction products. The Memphis dataset showed 12 records with MOHS taxonomy out of 63 total dermatology records. Nationally, MOHS-Micrographic Surgery returned 200+ records (at the API cap).

Q: What is the difference between MOHS-Micrographic Surgery and Procedural Dermatology in NPI data?

These are two distinct NUCC taxonomy codes. MOHS-Micrographic Surgery (NUCC 207ND0101X) refers specifically to Mohs micrographic technique for skin cancer excision. Procedural Dermatology (NUCC 207NP0225X) is a broader subspecialty covering office-based dermatologic procedures including laser surgery, cosmetic dermatology, and some surgical procedures — it does not specifically indicate Mohs capability. In Memphis, 5 records showed MOHS-Micrographic as primary taxonomy and 2 showed Procedural Dermatology. Run both as separate queries if your product serves both subspecialties.

Q: How does pediatric dermatology appear in NPI data?

Pediatric Dermatology is a recognized NUCC subspecialty (207NP0225X). In Memphis, 2 of 63 records showed Pediatric Dermatology as primary taxonomy. Nationally, Pediatric Dermatology returned 200+ records at the API cap in June 2026. If your product serves pediatric skin conditions (atopic dermatitis biologics, pediatric alopecia therapies), add a second query for Pediatric+Dermatology to supplement the main Dermatology results.

Q: What radius works for a dermatologist territory in different market types?

Dermatology has solid metro density but thins in rural states. Phoenix returned 191 records for the city (near cap); Memphis returned 63. For dense urban markets, 10–15 miles is sufficient. For mid-size metros, 25 miles. Wyoming returned 50 statewide and Vermont returned 64 — both states have reasonable dermatology density relative to their size, thanks to telederm expansion. For rural markets, 50 miles is a reasonable starting point but expect to cover more geography per provider than in metro areas.

By the getdork research team — we build and maintain the NPI/physician-search tooling at getdork.com — Published June 12, 2026

Data sourced from live CMS NPI Registry API v2.1 queries, run June 12, 2026. All provider counts are real API responses. Raw query results are available for download. See methodology below.

To find licensed dermatologists near a zip code, query the federal NPI registry with taxonomy_description=Dermatology. The general query is clean — no alias that returns zero results. The taxonomy gotcha in dermatology is specific to Mohs surgery: the correct NPI taxonomy_description is MOHS-Micrographic Surgery (all caps, hyphen) — "Mohs Micrographic Surgery" (sentence case, space) returns zero results. This guide covers 9-market real counts, the Memphis dataset broken down by subspecialty (dermatopathology is the second-largest group and should often be filtered out of a clinical call list), and practical radius guidance.

The Mohs surgery taxonomy gotcha: taxonomy_description=Mohs+Micrographic+Surgery (sentence case, space) returns zero results — confirmed June 12, 2026. The correct string is MOHS-Micrographic+Surgery (all caps MOHS, hyphen). Of 63 Memphis records, 12 had MOHS taxonomy — every one missed by a query using the wrong case/punctuation. Nationally, MOHS-Micrographic Surgery returned 200+ records.

Dermatology in the NPI registry: real counts from 9 markets

We queried the CMS NPI API v2.1 on June 12, 2026 with taxonomy_description=Dermatology.

Market	Query scope	NPI records returned	At 200-record cap?
New York, NY	City filter	200+	Yes (more exist)
Los Angeles, CA	City filter	200+	Yes (more exist)
Chicago, IL	City filter	200+	Yes (more exist)
Houston, TX	City filter	200+	Yes (more exist)
Phoenix, AZ	City filter	191	No (complete)
Nashville, TN	City filter	130	No (complete)
Memphis, TN	City filter	63	No (complete)
Vermont (statewide)	State filter	64	No (complete)
Wyoming (statewide)	State filter	50	No (complete)

Source: CMS NPI Registry API v2.1, taxonomy_description=Dermatology, limit=200. Queried June 12, 2026. Includes NPI-1 individual providers and NPI-2 organization records.

Memphis, TN drill-down — what 63 Dermatology records look like: 52 were individual providers (NPI-1); 11 were organization records (NPI-2 — dermatology group practices and dermatology/Mohs surgery centers). Primary taxonomy breakdown: 31 plain Dermatology, 15 Dermatology, Dermatopathology, 5 Dermatology, MOHS-Micrographic Surgery, 2 Allergy & Immunology (noise), 2 Dermatology, Pediatric Dermatology, 2 Dermatology, Procedural Dermatology. Credentials: 26 "MD," 23 "M.D." Note: the 15 Dermatopathology records are lab-based physicians who read skin biopsies, not office-based clinical dermatologists — filter them out if your call plan targets office-based providers. Raw data: npi-dermatology-memphis-tn-raw.json.

Dermatology subspecialties: the taxonomy table

Subspecialty	taxonomy_description value	NUCC code	Memphis count (June 2026)
General dermatologist	`Dermatology`	207N00000X	31 of 63
Dermatopathologist	`Dermatopathology`	207ND0900X	15 of 63 (lab-based; often excluded from clinical call lists)
Mohs surgeon	`MOHS-Micrographic Surgery`	207ND0101X	5 of 63 (note: 12 total records had MOHS taxonomy present)
Procedural dermatologist	`Procedural Dermatology`	207NP0225X	2 of 63
Pediatric dermatologist	`Pediatric Dermatology`	207NP0225X	2 of 63
"Mohs Micrographic Surgery" (sentence case)	Invalid — returns 0	None	0 — use MOHS-Micrographic Surgery (all caps, hyphen)

How to search for dermatologists by zip code (5 steps)

Choose your search method

NPI registry directly at npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov — free, no account, city or state filter only. No radius.
getdork Physician Search — same CMS API with zip-radius filtering, correct taxonomy pre-mapped, CSV export with taxonomy column. Search dermatologists by ZIP →

Use the correct taxonomy string: Dermatology

The exact API parameter is taxonomy_description=Dermatology. No common alias causes zero results for this top-level query. The numeric NUCC code 207N00000X is silently ignored. A standard Dermatology query returns all dermatology subspecialties in a mixed dataset.

Filter dermatopathologists out of office-based call lists

In Memphis, 15 of 63 Dermatology records were Dermatopathology — lab-based physicians who read skin biopsies. They share the Dermatology parent taxonomy, so they appear in the standard query. If your call plan targets office-based clinical dermatologists (for biologic prescribing, laser equipment, or in-office procedure products), filter out records where the taxonomy description contains "Dermatopathology."

Run MOHS-Micrographic Surgery separately if Mohs accounts are targets

The correct taxonomy_description is MOHS-Micrographic+Surgery — all caps, hyphen. "Mohs Micrographic Surgery" (sentence case, space) returns zero results. In Memphis, 12 of 63 records had MOHS taxonomy present. Run both queries and deduplicate by NPI if you need all dermatologists including Mohs surgeons from a single list.

Export to CSV (Pro) and segment by subspecialty

Pro users export the complete result set. Column headers: NPI, Name, Credential, Address, City, State, Zip, Phone, Entity Type. The taxonomy description column distinguishes clinical dermatologists, Mohs surgeons, dermatopathologists, and pediatric dermatologists — segment before routing to the right rep or product line.

Direct API queries

# General dermatologists in Memphis, TN — returned 63 records (June 2026)
https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/api/?
  version=2.1
  &taxonomy_description=Dermatology
  &city=Memphis
  &state=TN
  &limit=200

# Mohs surgeons — correct: MOHS (all caps) hyphen Micrographic Surgery
https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/api/?
  version=2.1
  &taxonomy_description=MOHS-Micrographic+Surgery
  &state=TN
  &limit=200

# FAILS — sentence case "Mohs" with space returns zero results
https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/api/?
  version=2.1
  &taxonomy_description=Mohs+Micrographic+Surgery
  &city=Memphis
  &state=TN
  &limit=200

# Procedural dermatology — separate from MOHS, covers laser and cosmetic procedures
https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/api/?
  version=2.1
  &taxonomy_description=Procedural+Dermatology
  &state=TN
  &limit=200

Radius guidance for dermatologist territories

Market type	Recommended starting radius	Rationale
Dense urban (NYC, Chicago, LA)	10–15 miles	All four large metros hit the 200-cap; dermatology density is high in urban areas
Mid-metro (Memphis, Nashville, Phoenix)	25 miles	Phoenix: 191 records; Nashville: 130; Memphis: 63. 25 miles adds suburban practices and group dermatology chains.
Rural (Wyoming, Vermont)	50 miles	Wyoming: 50 statewide; Vermont: 64 statewide. Better density than endocrinology — telederm expansion has maintained rural dermatology coverage at satellite clinic sites.

Your dermatology territory from the federal source of record.
getdork sends the correct taxonomy string and handles the radius math. The exported CSV includes the taxonomy description column so you can split clinical dermatologists from Mohs surgeons and dermatopathologists before your CRM import. Free to preview; Pro for the full list.

Search dermatologists by ZIP code — free →

Frequently asked questions

What is the correct NPI taxonomy_description for Mohs surgeons?

MOHS-Micrographic Surgery — all caps MOHS, hyphen between MOHS and Micrographic. "Mohs Micrographic Surgery" (sentence case, space) returns zero results — confirmed June 12, 2026. Nationally, the correct string returned 200+ records. Memphis showed 12 records with MOHS taxonomy out of 63 total dermatology records — all missed by a query using the wrong case.

What is the difference between MOHS-Micrographic Surgery and Procedural Dermatology?

Two distinct NUCC codes. MOHS-Micrographic Surgery (207ND0101X) refers specifically to Mohs micrographic technique for skin cancer excision — margin-controlled surgery performed in a single session. Procedural Dermatology (207NP0225X) is a broader subspecialty covering laser surgery, cosmetic dermatology, and other office-based procedures — it does not specifically indicate Mohs capability. Memphis showed 5 MOHS primary taxonomy records and 2 Procedural Dermatology. Run both queries if your product serves both subspecialties.

Does a standard Dermatology NPI query include dermatopathologists?

Yes. In Memphis, 15 of 63 Dermatology records showed Dermatopathology as primary taxonomy. Dermatopathologists are lab-based — they read skin biopsies and are not office-based prescribers or procedure performers. If your call plan targets clinical dermatologists for biologic prescribing or in-office procedure products, filter out records where the taxonomy description contains "Dermatopathology."

How does pediatric dermatology appear in NPI data?

Pediatric Dermatology is a recognized NUCC subspecialty. In Memphis, 2 of 63 records showed it as primary taxonomy; nationally, 200+ records returned. If your product serves pediatric skin conditions (atopic dermatitis biologics, pediatric alopecia therapies), the 2 Memphis records suggest you should add a second Pediatric+Dermatology query for any market where children's hospitals are accounts.

What radius works for a dermatologist territory in different market types?

Dense urban: 10–15 miles. Mid-metro (Memphis, Nashville, Phoenix): 25 miles. Rural (Wyoming, Vermont): 50 miles. Vermont returned 64 statewide and Wyoming 50 — better rural density than endocrinology or pulmonology, partly due to telederm expansion that has maintained satellite dermatology clinic sites in rural areas.

What pharma and device products use a dermatologist call list?

Biologics for psoriasis (IL-17, IL-23, TNF inhibitors), atopic dermatitis (dupilumab, tralokinumab), alopecia areata (JAK inhibitors), hidradenitis suppurativa, pemphigus vulgaris. Topicals: calcineurin inhibitors, retinoids, topical JAK inhibitors. Device: phototherapy units, laser systems (CO2, pulsed dye, IPL), cryotherapy equipment, excision sets, and Mohs-specific tissue processing consumables. Dermatopathology lab reagents for pathology-affiliated practices.

Data methodology

All provider counts come from direct queries to the CMS NPI Registry API v2.1, run on June 12, 2026. We used taxonomy_description=Dermatology and limit=200. No authentication required.

When result_count equals 200 the actual total exceeds 200 and is unknown. Counts below 200 are exact.

Raw responses: npi-dermatology-memphis-tn-raw.json, npi-dermatology-wyoming-raw.json. Collection script: _data/npi-counts-dermatology.ps1.

Related guides

How to search the NPI registry (full guide) — complete API reference and the taxonomy_description quirk explained.
What is an NPI number and what can you look up? — NPI types, fields, and data freshness.
How to find physicians by specialty and state — state-level NPI searches across specialties.
How to find orthopedic surgeons by zip code — the British spelling gotcha and seven-code subspecialty table.
How to find ENT doctors by zip code — another specialty where the common abbreviation returns near-zero results.